Columns

What do regulating puddles, attempting to ban popular ammunition, and making recess appointments have in common? They are all examples of attempts by President Obama to overstep his power and bypass Congress. But these are just a drop in the bucket when it comes to the pattern of overreach we have seen from the Executive Branch in recent years. On nearly every issue – from health care to farming – President Obama has used his pen and phone to rewrite the law on his own.

Last week, President Barack Obama fulfilled his constitutional duty and nominated a federal judge, Merrick Garland, for the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Conservative Republicans in the Senate, who love to promote “upholding the Constitution,” when it suits them, have announced that they will shirk their constitutional duties and not even provide a hearing for this nominee.

One again, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin has made a fool of Barack Hussein Obama, something he has been doing on a regular basis over the last few years.
Early last fall, when Russian aircraft began bombing to support Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the Obama administration was livid. Secretary of State John Kerry angrily predicted that Russia had waded into a quagmire.

By Congressman Robert Hurt
This past week, we had the opportunity to visit a number of schools across the Fifth District and learn about the curricula our students have been studying. We visited schools in Rocky Mount, Gretna, Chatham, Altavista, Brookneal, Cumberland, Palmyra, Farmville, Stanardsville, and Charlottesville discussing topics ranging from computer science to political science.

Saving up for a rainy day – whether it’s a few quarters in your piggy bank as a child or investing in a retirement plan as an adult, many of us have heard from a young age about the importance of saving for the future. Saving is important to your financial security and independence. However, for many men and women who have worked their entire lives, every penny saved for retirement is a challenge.

By Delegate Kathy Byron
The 2016 session of the General Assembly ended a day early, with legislators approving a balanced budget and fulfilling their constitutional duty to appoint judges to the Commonwealth’s courts. And for the second year in a row, it completed its work a day ahead of schedule.

The 2016 Virginia General Assembly is now adjourned. It is my belief that this year’s session was one of the most productive and successful in recent memory, not only for the Commonwealth at large, but more important, for our region in particular.

The 2016 session of the Virginia General Assembly has come to a close, ending one of the most productive sessions, and doing it ahead of schedule. Legislators completed their work, passing over 800 bills, approving a balanced two-year biennial budget, and electing a new justice to the Supreme Court of Virginia.

The recent death of Nancy Reagan brought with it a heavy media concentration on politics and history from the 1980s, reliving the time when her husband was unbeatable at the polls and the Republican Party was a very different institution.
Nancy, herself, probably set the example for the modern first lady, before Hillary Clinton or Michelle Obama. She seldom got involved in policy, as Hillary did, but she was the most important person close to the president.